Documentary Team

Jon Palfreman PhD

Co-Producer, Co-Writer

A veteran of both UK and US television, Jon Palfreman has made over 40 BBC and PBS one-hour documentaries including the Peabody Award winning series “The Machine That Changed the World”, the Emmy Award winning NOVA “Siamese Twins” and the Alfred I. duPont&ndahs;Columbia University Silver Baton winner “Harvest of Fear.” Palfreman has received many awards honoring the quality and accuracy of his journalism. The recipient of the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Writing, Palfreman is three-time winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science science writing prize, three–time winner of the National Association of Science Writers “Science-in-Society” Journalism Award and a winner of the Writers Guild Award for best script. In the area of Parkinson’s disease research, Palfreman co-authored a book with neuroscientist Bill Langston, The Case of the Frozen Addicts, and produced two NOVA documentaries chronicling the story of the MPTP cases, NOVA: The Case of the Frozen Addict, and NOVA: Brain Transplant. A 2006 Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University, Palfreman is currently KEZI Distinguished Professor of Broadcast Journalism at the University of Oregon.

Kathy Kleiman

Co-Producer, Co-Writer

Kathy Kleiman discovered the ENIAC programmers as a Harvard undergraduate and a female programmer in search of role models and inspiration. Her junior paper and senior thesis explored the missing chapter of computers—the ENIAC programmers and many other women who were pioneers in early programming and software. A decade later, upon learning that most of the ENIAC programmers were not invited to the ENIAC’s 50th anniversary, she set out to record their oral histories, seek recognition for their accomplishments and produce a documentary to tell their dramatic story.
Through the ENIAC Programmers Project which she founded, Kleiman traveled with the ENIAC Programmers to forums throughout the U.S., and with them, and alone, has spoken to thousands of young women and me about early computer programming and the contributions of an diverse team on ENIAC, UNIVAC and later computer projects. “The ENIAC Programmers are inspirations to us all, and their stories open the doors to careers in technology for everyone, especially young women.” Kleiman is also a senior Internet law & policy attorney with Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, P.L.C. in Arlington, Virginia.

Kate McMahon

Co-Producer and Director

Kate McMahon has contributed to more than 40 hours of national documentary and long-format news programming, primarily for PBS, since she began her career in 1998 as an Associate Producer for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Today, she produces and co-produces documentaries for the PBS series FRONTLINE, independent films, digital channels and PBS stations. Her current film is about the history of women in computing for Google Family Foundations—release date 2014. Recent film projects include FRONTLINE: Life and Death in Assisted Living (2013); FRONTLINE: Nuclear Aftershocks (2012); FRONTLINE: The Vaccine War (2010); FRONTLINE: Sick Around America (2009) and FRONTLINE: Sick Around the World (2008). In 2008, Kate’s co-production of the 2-hour historical film Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the Presidency premiered on PBS. In 2004 Kate associate–produced the Oscar–nominated film ENRON: The Smartest Guys in the Room and in 2005 co–produced FRONTLINE: The Meth Epidemic. In 2001, while working at ABC NEWS Nightline, Kate covered the tragic events of 9/11 from New York City. She went on to work for NOW with Bill Moyers covering the nexus of business and politics in Washington, D.C. Her on–going production of Inside the Psychologist’s Studio is a popular web series for the Association for Psychological Science. Outside of producing documentaries rooted in journalism, Kate has produced and reported public radio programs and published articles in Metro Parent Magazine. She enjoys living in Portland, OR with her husband, two children, their fluffy dog and pink fish.

Mark Rublee

Director of Photography

After graduating from New York University’s Film and Television Program in 1981, Rublee worked as a freelance cinematographer, videographer and director. His travels have taken him around the world shooting in remote location such as China, Japan, Hong Kong, Ukraine, most of western Europe, Peru, Ellsmere Island above the Arctic Circle, and extensively throughout the US and Canada. Broadcast credits include: NOVA, FRONTLINE, 60 Minutes, ESPN, Fox Television, CBS Sports, Chedd Angier, Discovery Channel, Martha Stuart Communications, Jim Henson Productions, ARD German TV and NHK Japanese Television. Rublee first teamed up with Palfreman in the early 1990s on Palfreman’s Emmy Award–winning NOVA, “Siamese Twins”. Rublee has shot for many of Palfreman’s programs ever since including FRONTLINE: “Nuclear Reaction”, NOVA/FRONTLINE:“What’s Up With the Weather?”, NOVA/FRONTLINE:“Harvest of Fear”, FRONTLINE: “Sick Around the World”, and FRONTLINE “Sick Around America.”

John E. Low

Composer

John E. Low is a composer based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, John has scored over 40 episodes of award-winning PBS series Frontline. He has also worked countless commercials, film trailers and documentary films, including the Oscar short–listed film Jujitsuing Reality. John currently lives in Culver City with his wife and 4-year-old daughter.